You can Support 4-H on Saturday!

Below is a column by Everett Davis, County Extension Director for the Robeson County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, that we thought our 4-H bloggers would enjoy. The article talks about an upcoming youth program that some of our 4-H'ers are involved in as well as an upcoming plant sale where one of our clubs will be raising money for their club activities. This article was published in Thursday's edition of the Robesonian.

"According to the weatherman, it will be a beautiful weekend. We have complained for the last several months about snow, rain, cold, wind, and other uncomfortable weather conditions, so we are due a beautiful spring weekend. I encourage you to take advantage of it.

Let me give you some suggestions of what to do this coming weekend. I know you have your own plans and several other groups and agencies want some of your time as well, but I encourage you to plan your time so you can work both of these worthwhile events into your schedule.

Kenny and Anna Floyd, owners and operators of Floyd's Strawberry Patch, will be holding their 5th Annual Kids Festival this coming Saturday. Their strawberry farm is located on Stone Road, just outside the Fairmont city limits on the east side of town. There will be so much going on at this strawberry farm this Saturday that their son and daughter, a bunch of friends and neighbors, and members of the Robeson County Chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina will be there to help.

This is the beginning of strawberry season in Robeson County. You may be like me, just waiting for an opportunity to get some fresh, locally grown, delicious, ripe strawberries. It almost makes my mouth water as I describe them to you.

This strawberry farm opens about 7:00 in the morning, so you can get there early if you want to and start picking and eating strawberries. But the special activities for kids will begin about 10:00 and will last until about 2:00. The Floyds provide this special day in recognition of the youth of the county who are autistic and their parents and caregivers. A percentage of all sales for this entire day will be donated to the Autism Society of Robeson County. April is National Autism Awareness Month, so here is your chance to take your children with you to get fresh strawberries and support this worthwhile cause at the same time.

All children will receive a container and may pick the container full of strawberries at no cost. This does not count the ones they will eat while picking. They will also receive a free coloring book, and free face painting will be available. They can have their picture taken with Suzie Strawberry, play on the bouncing castle, take a cupcake walk, and play balloon games.

A special treat for the young and also for those who are not so young will be homemade ice cream. The Floyds are famous for their ice cream, especially their homemade strawberry ice cream. Pizza, sodas, and other treats will be available as well, so come and have a picnic lunch with your family.

With the Floyd's help, the Autism Society uses this event to raise money for their group. They provide literature that will help you better understand autism and the effect it has on some of our youth and their families.

The strawberry season is just beginning. We have eight strawberry farms in the county. I will be providing more information about these strawberry farms during the next few weeks.

Earlier that morning, the Robeson County Master Gardeners will be holding their Annual Plant Sale in the parking lot in front of Cox Quality Home Furnishings, which is located at 4301 Fayetteville Road in Lumberton.

The plant sale will begin around 7 a.m. You do not want to lounge around the house and have a leisurely breakfast before going to purchase your plants. If you do, you might come home empty-handed. The Master Gardeners have been holding an Annual Plant Sale for quite a few years, and everyone has learned that this is the place to go to find those special plants at special prices. The good plants will sale out fast, so get there early.

The purpose of this Annual Plant Sale is not to compete with local garden centers or to offer bargain priced plants that are commonly available at these garden centers. Instead, the goal of the Master Gardeners is to assist local citizens in beautifying Robeson County. Many of the Master Gardeners have lavish landscapes containing both common and unusual plants. A good Master Gardener likes nothing better than to share a plant with a friend or neighbor. All of the plants they will be selling are those they have gathered from their own landscapes, and they will be selling them at very reasonable prices.

Every year, our Master Gardeners perform many beautification projects throughout the entire county. They use the money they earn from this plant sale to fund these projects. So come on out and buy some great plants at great prices and support their beautification projects.
The Robeson County Junior Master Gardeners will be there as well. They will be selling their plants and other gardening items to raise money for their educational activities. You might want to consider getting your child or grandchild involved with this exciting and interesting youth group, so make a special effort to talk to the Extension 4-H agent or Extension horticulturalist during your visit.

I've helped plan your Saturday morning for you. I guess you will have to spend your Saturday afternoon planting those things you bought at the plant sale and preparing your strawberries for Saturday dinner."